Are your Irn's wings clipped?

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thefarmofcool
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Are your Irn's wings clipped?

Post by thefarmofcool »

Hey just wondering if they are clipped or not. I don't know how to make a poll I am trying but do not know if it will turn out. I pressed preview but it didn't work. Anyways please answer the question!
SkyBaby
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Post by SkyBaby »

Skye's wings are clipped atm. A bit over clipped though, so he falls like a rock when he tries to fly. I'm going to let him regrow his wings then give him a partial clip and work on flight recall with him. Then as he gets better at it, i'm gonna let him have full wings.
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sheyd
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Post by sheyd »

Chocobo is clipped- but I'll let him have his wings when he moults.
laine
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Post by laine »

I used to have Smokey's wings clipped but for the first time this year I have let them grow and not clipped them. The reason I decided this is because he flies to me, follows me and seems to have such a good time. I, fortunately, can call him and he will come to me. If I can't find him I call out "Where are you" and he comes to me. Sometimes it's annoying as he has found a new resting place above the front door. We have a window and ledge above the door and he just loves to sit there. I have a new rule now that if he is up there I lock the screen security door so no one just opens it without thinking to look up and see if Smokey is up there. I fear he may just fly out the door if given the chance. I love watching him exercise and play. Sometimes he will swoop you just for fun :lol:
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thefarmofcool
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Post by thefarmofcool »

Yeah, see if I get a Irn I am not sure if I should get the wings clipped or not, I am leaning to not because I have two cats and a dog, but then again I don't want him to fly out the door,I will also be having the Irn outside in the summer when I am swimming or just hanging out and will have a leash and a perch for him. If I were to get the wings kind of clipped would he be able to fly away from my cats or dog?
crazyparrot
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clipped or not

Post by crazyparrot »

:idea: To clip or not to clip, that is the question people like to ask...a lot.
If I am breeding a bird, I do not clip the wings due to balance and fertility, but if a bird is not being bred, I will clip the wings so it does not fly away. Also, when I am hand feeding babies, I do not clip the wings until they have learned to fly and fly well...at least 2 weeks of good flying time are needed so the bird will be confident later in life. I have seen birds who have been clipped since before they could fly and it isn't pretty. Usually they will just climb everywhere, and if they do decide to fly, or have no choice, they have no control. :idea:
Please check out my sites at www.southerncockatiels.com and www.crazyparrot.com
Dolphinheart
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Post by Dolphinheart »

yes i clip my birds wings as we enjoy being outside with the gals in our undercover area . whiel it is undercover it is still open enough to fly out /away (been caught once already not going thru that again).
Janet
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wing clip

Post by Janet »

Hi, Mine were clipped (badly) when I got them, then I let them fly but they used to get into trouble. I go my vet to click the wings and he did a great job. They can now fly a bit (such as across the room) but can't fly up to the ceiling and can't fly over long distances. My guys are pretty happy birds.
tazbird3
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Post by tazbird3 »

I prefer to have my birds free-flighted, but with my IRN, that simply wasn't possible. She does not like my Mom and she made that very well known when she flew into her face, claws first, and then tried to pierce her lip and face with her beak. I could not take the chance of her trying to hurt anyone else or attacking my Mom again (she only is nice to my Mom when she has food!)

I am Kasper's fourth owner and I don't know what happened to her before I got her, but for some reason, she took an instant dislike to my Mom (again, except when she has food).

Kasper can be vicious, so at least now she can't fly when she gets angry. It's unfortunate, but oh so true.
U.S Marine
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Post by U.S Marine »

Chocobo wrote:Chocobo is clipped- but I'll let him have his wings when he moults.
Same here, My bird has its wings clipped at the moment, But wen they grow back i think he/she will be allowed full flight. We got to remember if you were a bird wouldn't you want freedom? Its something that most people in the world don't have and look at their country. :wink:
tazbird3
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Post by tazbird3 »

I totally agree about them being able to have their freedom. I have never believed in having my birds' wings clipped because I do like them to be able to get around on their own. Flying is one of their natural gifts. But, in certain circumstances and in my case, it's just not feasible. My IRN does have freedom in many ways...she just can't fly. In order to keep her, I have to keep her wings clipped.

My cockatiel has her wings and so did my budgie, (my budgie, Sunshine, died last week).
U.S Marine
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Post by U.S Marine »

Its like the afghan girls, They can walk were ever they please but have to cover there face, Neither do they have a say in it.

But if that is your choice then i can not do anything about it.
Last edited by U.S Marine on Wed Apr 08, 2009 7:28 am, edited 1 time in total.
tazbird3
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Post by tazbird3 »

Yes, that's about it. If I want to keep her in my house, her wings need to be clipped. After she attacked my Mom, I had chosen to give her up instead of getting her wings clipped. But the rescue agency I talked with - who I was going to give her to - asked me to try to keep her since she had bonded with me. They suggested the wing-clipping instead of having her free-flighted and without a home.
U.S Marine
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Post by U.S Marine »

Yea, I understand but remember humans were the ones to domesticate animals and we are responsible no matter what happens. Good luck with your bird.
tazbird3
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Post by tazbird3 »

I know sometimes it seems selfish to "own" birds or any animal. By having them in our homes, do we do them a disservice? Sometimes it feels that way. We are their caretakers, we need to be good stewards of what we have. I never forget that. Birds don't ask to be caged up. I struggle with this. And I don't take having a companion bird lightly. It is a responsibility. But I know that you know this.

I look at the fact that two of my birds - my IRN included - came to me because they weren't wanted by others. My hope is that in my home, they have found a good place where they can have as much freedom as possible, where they are respected, well cared for, and loved as the wild yet somewhat domesticated creatures that they are.

What birds do you have?
skittles
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partially

Post by skittles »

When we got Skittles (just a week ago) the breeder had partially clipped her wings. She can fly a little bit, but not far. I think I like it that way, she cant go all over the house, but she has a little freedom.
Skittles and her mommy
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3tiels&aringneck
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clipped wings

Post by 3tiels&aringneck »

Bullet's wings are clipped. I go the pet store where I bought him/her. They do a nice job and are familiar with them since that is where I got him/her.

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Lauren
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Post by Lauren »

Nope. :wink: Jibbys wings were clipped first 2 years of his life, although I dont think he ever needed it, hes been the perfect bird from day 1, taming wise, although sometimes cheeky at times but we all have our moods. I did the same with Lola. Although Lolas a bit harder to handle since shes semi tame, she'll step up for me if I have something to offer, but dislikes any other human.

Id much rather them fly. I love seeing them go for their morning flight around the house. I also believe they are much safer with flight. Once a bird learns to fly that is, they are skillfull flyers and can quickly manouvre mid flight to avoid a crash. Ive seen my two do 360s mid air, stop mid air and hover around doors like hummingbirds! lol. Another advantage of flight is, quick escape from preditors, well I dont have dogs or cats, but if I did, that would be an advantage.

Only thing we are extreemly careful of is when cooking in the kitchen, if it looks like food, theyll surely land on it and opening/closing doors. Even though they really couldnt care less about the outside world. lol Theyve had chances before, when visitors have left doors open, but were to scared to step out into the world! Still we keep an eye out for open doors!

I do think clipping is a good idea in the first few years for taming and building a relationship without them flying away from you every 2 seconds. But really its up to you which you believe is best. I can say you do need work harder at training with flighted birds and keep up the training regularly or they begin to think they have the advantage of flight. I get them to come to me with food. It works 90% of the time. We still do step ups too, but the majority of the time, they fly to me.

I have clipped them in the last year, because Jibby had an injured foot and was trying to land but couldnt get the landing right with a sore foot. So I clipped him which I thought would be stressful since hes 8 years old and hadnt been clipped in years. He adapted quite well! They grew back quickly and hes back flying again. Its like it never happened. lol.
"Jibby aka Gilbert" Indian Ringneck 13 years "Charlie" Rex Rabbit 1 year
jeannier
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Post by jeannier »

I do clip my birds wings. To me it makes it easier to work with them and I like to take mine outside with me.
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kyria
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Post by kyria »

Mickey and Kai the breeding pair - not clipped

Jordan and Pickle, are clipped more than not. I let flight come back as the feathers return each time and I let them have their freedom as long as they behave. When they become too cheeky and misbehave we clip them again, every time flight comes back its much longer before they need to be clipped again and at the moment they are flighted and have been for some time.
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boogernose
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Re: Are your Irn's wings clipped?

Post by boogernose »

i keep my little buddy clipped and i stay with it. Kinger is 10 years old got him at 3 months, he goes everywhere with me under my coat or windbreaker. about 8 months ago i procrastinated with his wings, and then to my horror out the door he went! we chased him from tree to tree about 6 hours until the sun went down, as you could imagine I WAS DEVASTATED no sleep, at the tree about an hour before sun up no bird! gone, history! the rest of the morning we put up flyers all over. long story short kinger saw a group of people and crash landed in the middle of a barbeque, 26 hours outside. the longest of my life. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND CLIPPING......
PythonzEve
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Re: Are your Irn's wings clipped?

Post by PythonzEve »

Sukha's are flutter clipped right now, so he can flutter to the ground but that's about it, which he still finds fun. I plan on flight clipping him and working on some free flight and eventually have him with full flight feathers so he can fly around the house and so I can put him on an Aviator harness and flight tether to get some outside and real flight time. This will actually help him if he ever gets loose, as he'll be trained for flight recall and will be able to navigate in the air and once he is on the aviator flight tether he will know what my back yard looks like, so he can better identify the right house if he ever escapes accidentally.

Also once he is flight trained inside he can escape the toddler and dogs if needed. Until then they are not in the same room while he is out of his cage.
Jessica

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Lilly
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Re: Are your Irn's wings clipped?

Post by Lilly »

Gomez had his wings clipped by the breeder, I asked her to so it would help me handling him for the first few months. I don't have any plans to re-clip them though as he's more of a climber/walker than a flyer. Even though they are clipped he can still fly quite well when he's not feeling too lazy! :lol:
reslie
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Re: Are your Irn's wings clipped?

Post by reslie »

Zazu has his wings clipped and I will keep them like that. We have celing fans.
Codys Mom
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Re: Are your Irn's wings clipped?

Post by Codys Mom »

Peanut is clipped
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emillyb
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Re: Are your Irn's wings clipped?

Post by emillyb »

YES. My yokou has flown away many times and i have luckly got him back due to his friendly nature and my door knocking and poster making skills. I now always keep him clipped, as much as i want him to fly around free in the house, i would be devastated if anything happened to him. I learnt the hard way!
emilly
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Tikobird
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Re: Are your Irn's wings clipped?

Post by Tikobird »

yes clipped but i would say flight clipped he can still fly so in a few days maybe a week ill take him to the vet and clip his wing down furthe so he can still fly but only in the downward direction haha, i thought it would be fine, ive had him outside fully flighted but right now hes only 7 weeks, i didnt know he was gunna be able to fly so quickly! but aswe both get older together ill teach him recall so if anything bad does happen and i havent clipped his wings in time ill have a better chance at getting him back :D
ciqala20
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Re: Are your Irn's wings clipped?

Post by ciqala20 »

i wish i could let my ciqala fly aroun the house. I've only had her a month or two my friend gave her to us when she moved and she's only started letting me pet her. she only steps up when she feels like it or needs help or sees a peanut or yogie. too many doors in my house don't shut properly so there would be too much of a chance of her getting out. where do you get a birdy leash and how do you teach them to allow you to put them on? she's a biter when she's annoyed. i would love to take her outside!
MystikNZ
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Re: Are your Irn's wings clipped?

Post by MystikNZ »

yes is clipped at present (have just aquired)
cockatiels wings are not clipped
Steph & "Ash" - Nelson, New Zealand
McmillanBirds
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Re: Are your Irn's wings clipped?

Post by McmillanBirds »

The babies I handrear and sell- i let them have a good few flights and then I generally ask the people I am selling the birds to whether they would like me to clip the wings or not as it is personal preference.
My 8year old ringneck biscuit(my baby)-depending on whether she is going out with me or not, majority of the time her wings are long, but if I see my cats and dogs looking at her as though she is looking extremely good for lunch I clip them so that if she does decide to fly off she can't get too far away and my dogs and cats won't get to her before I do.
My aviary birds- wings are not clipped so they can fly and excercise.
mikemck1
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Re: Are your Irn's wings clipped?

Post by mikemck1 »

I believe from a horrible experience that it's much more safer for your parrot to have his/her wings clipped. Due to my parrot one day just flying away and out of a open door, I thought i had lost him and was devastated. Although 3 days of constant looking and spreading the word i was reunited with him now i would never let his wings grow back. He was close to dying he hadn't eaten had was out in the cold rain as he didn't have the survival techniques.
So i do believe it would be in your parrots best interest just to be on safe side, but this is just my opinion :) I hope this helps you.
inflight
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Re: Are your Irn's wings clipped?

Post by inflight »

I do not have her wings clipped. I have had others birds and have never clipped their wings. I honestly feel bad, what's the point of being a bird if you can't fly. Though My little Sally is having issues right now and the first thing everyone tells me is that her wings need to be clipped. :?
taywer321
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Re: Are your Irn's wings clipped?

Post by taywer321 »

My IRN came home to me clipped by the breeder. When he molted and grew in his flight feathers I let him learn to fly again, and though I would wait it out and see how he did. He's done wonderfully with flying, and has learned to land gracefully. I do not believe in wing clipping, all 3 of my parrots are flighted. They are much happier and more confident this way. A close eye is ALWAYS needed when they can fly, but I believe it is psychologically beneficial to them to be able to fly.
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MissK
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Re: Are your Irn's wings clipped?

Post by MissK »

"Fish got to swim, birds got to fly..."
Last edited by MissK on Sat Apr 23, 2016 7:37 am, edited 1 time in total.
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AmyJoy
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Re: Are your Irn's wings clipped?

Post by AmyJoy »

My IRN 'Pirate' has one of his wings slightly clipped. He doesn't even try to fly though. He stretches and flaps his wings but isn't even interested in flying.
cassie.c87
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Re: Are your Irn's wings clipped?

Post by cassie.c87 »

Mine has his clipped but I made it clear to the breeder I wanted him to take flight a few times and land successfully before they were done (I hope she did allow that) I will let them grow out again after his next mault
Sixty Fiver
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Re: Are your Irn's wings clipped?

Post by Sixty Fiver »

I am now up to three birds that are flying around the house... my baby Talouse (a Senegal) came to me with clipped wings and she is now flying with great precision and confidence, Lucce (male IRN) has never had his wings clipped and is an acrobatic flyer, and Amore's wings have grown back after a minor clip and she is probably the most agile of them all.

Amore has her wings clipped a little to keep her out of mischief and although she can always fly, reducing this ability just a little makes her a happier and more social bird.
Jen&Bug
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Re: Are your Irn's wings clipped?

Post by Jen&Bug »

I used to get Bug's wings clipped, but now I don't. He has been the same happy little bird, both clipped and unclipped, although now he can do some more acrobatic flying around the house which he seems to really enjoy.

IMO the clipping debate really depends on the bird's owner and environment. If you want to clip and your bird gets plenty of stimulation and exercise other than flying, the bird will probably be fine. If you don't want to clip, and you're super-careful to make sure there are no hazards in your bird's environment and no open doors and windows, the bird will probably also be fine. Whatever you decide, it think it's ok if you've thought about the possible consequences for the bird and managed them.

Also, clipping is no guarantee of safety. I used to have a quaker who was clipped so I could take him outside...but he still got a fright one day and flew off, much further than I thought he could travel. It took four heart-wrenching hours to get him back (mikemck1, I sympathise), so my current birds are definitely indoor birds, clipped or otherwise.
fionalouise1989
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Re: Are your Irn's wings clipped?

Post by fionalouise1989 »

My little one came clipped but I think "partially clipped" as he can still fly but cannot maintain height. I think thats the way I will keep him as we take him out a lot to our friends house (they also have an IRN) and while I want him to be able to fly away if he needs to I just dont want him to fly too far :P He often will fly from his playgym in the lounge room to his cage in the bedroom where he uses the bed to climb up because he cant fly up high enough. We also have hot plates and they remain hot for a while so at least if he flies he cant fly up to them and burn himself (we try to keep them covered as much as possible though). I do think its more a safety issue, if you can keep them unclipped and safe (away from hazards) Id love to keep them like that but for now I think its safer for him to be clipped)
Fi
clawnz
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Re: Are your Irn's wings clipped?

Post by clawnz »

Wow! Their are a lot of IRN owners that have posted here? Congratulations.
I did not see to many Alexandrin.
I am glad to see most consider leaving their birds flighted after they moult.
I did not see anyone who has or does use a harness?

For my money it is my belief that a bird that does not fly will not be getting a good cardiovascular workout and that could impact on it's health later in life.
Mind you if a bird is not allowed out of the cage it does not matter anyway.

Taming. Sure it can take a lot long and more effort to tame. But if you love your companion Fid, you should be willing to take the time and with Positive Reinforcement Training end up with a super relationship.
Jen&Bug
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Re: Are your Irn's wings clipped?

Post by Jen&Bug »

I did buy a harness because I thought it would be the only safe way to takes my birds outside, but I haven't had much success with it.

Bug (IRN) hates being handled, so the idea of putting something over his head was way too much for him. After several weeks of attempting to get him to tolerate it, we weren't making any progress so I admit I gave up.

Rufus (sun conure) was tolerant of me putting the harness on him when he was little, so I did take him outside and even to the shops several times. However, he tended to spend so much time trying to chew the harness to pieces, I don't think he got very much enjoyment out of the experience. After a while I decided to stop using it and just keep them both inside.

A more patient and dedicated person than me might have succeeded in getting their IRN harness-trained - any success stories?
Sixty Fiver
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Re: Are your Irn's wings clipped?

Post by Sixty Fiver »

My Senegal took the the harness immediately and through the summer went on many enjoyable excursions in the 'hood... Lucce and Amore will have nothing to do with me if I am holding the harness although I would love to be able to take them out as well.

Lucce is such a sociable little charmer and likes everyone he meets.
InTheAir
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Re: Are your Irn's wings clipped?

Post by InTheAir »

Our ringneck puts up with the harness. We don't use it for flying though, just for taking him on outings on our shoulders.
At home he zooms around the house like a little jetpilot, and we don't want to deprive him of his birdliness. We wanted to be able to take him to friends houses and suchlike so we got the aviator harness. If he is in his travel cage at a friends house he's great about putting the harness on, if we are at home where he's used to having the run of the place he's a right brat about it lol. He doesn't seem to feel very safe outside though, he's happy when he's on a person, but try to stick him in a tree and he has a complete fit...
We almost clipped his wings when we first got him because he had a run in with an uncurtained window, but he seems to have learnt to avoid windows now.
subodhhire
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Re: Are your Irn's wings clipped?

Post by subodhhire »

Hi All,

Lot of IRN lovers and owners. Great to listen to all. I am against clipping but have lost an Alexandrine last year. But accidents do happen and nobody can do anything about it. This year again i have got 2 Alex. I got them pretty small, say around 6 weeks old. I have hand fed them and they are very attached to me. Now they are in the weaning process and hopefully in a couple of weeks they will be fully weaned and Flighted.

If you get a bird really early like when it is 4 to 6 weeks old and bond with him since that age i dont think wing clipping is neccesary. But for that you must have the time and patience to hand feed and wean the bird properly. If you are ready to undergo this initial trouble for say around a couple of months, you can reap the fruits of it for years to come ahead.

Subodh
Valeria
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Re: Are your Irn's wings clipped?

Post by Valeria »

Yes clipped
The_dailypeep
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Re: Are your Irn's wings clipped?

Post by The_dailypeep »

thefarmofcool wrote:Hey just wondering if they are clipped or not. I don't know how to make a poll I am trying but do not know if it will turn out. I pressed preview but it didn't work. Anyways please answer the question!
Yes.
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